Of Knighthood and Marriage
by OlyveTheOctoPus
Summary: Jane's mother has had enough of her frolicking about as a knight. It's time for Jane to marry. But the question is: who? Slight AU Future-Fic
1. Chapter 1

**Story: Of Knighthood and Marriage  
Rating: Low T  
Pairing: Gunther/Jane, one-sided Jester/Jane, Rake/Pepper  
Summary: Jane's mother has had enough of Jane's knighthood nonsense. Either Jane finds a husband soon, or she will pick a respectable one for Jane. Regardless of age.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Jane and the Dragon, and am merely using the characters for my own entertainment.'**

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"Jane! You are of marrying age! It is improper for you to spend your time frolicking about. Especially with grown men! You are a grown woman now, it is time for you to show tact as a lady!"

"I am a squire and a knight apprentice mother. And I have a duty to fight for my people, not get married and have children!"

"Jane Turnkey, no more of this foolishness! I've let you play your silly little knight game for six years! It is time for you to settle down and learn how to be a proper wife and mother now."

"Father, this isn't fair!"

"I'm sorry honey, but your mother is right this time." He was reading in a chair in the corner of the living space, trying to avoid the argument.

She glared at her husband, "_This_ time? I am _a__lways_ right!"

He waved her off, clearly exhausted by his wife's constant shrillness, especially where Jane was concerned. "Jane, dear, it is time for you to produce an heir to succeed the family."

"Then _I'll_ find a husband!" Jane stomped her foot, "In my own time!"

Her mother laughed, a short bark that left Jane feeling entirely belittled and like a child. "Nonsense! Do you think any man will want you once you're past your prime?"

"Someone wanted _you_."

Her mother frowned angrily, "Insolent child. Yes, I married late, but I was lucky. I was well bred, refined, and gentle, though a bit sickly. _You_ are a brute and no man wants a wife who is stronger than he is."

"These are different times, Mother. Girls don't need to be wed by fourteen anymore! Why should I have to find a husband?"

"I will not be the laughingstock of the kingdom Jane! I refuse to be the only woman who's daughter is yet to be married." she crossed her arms, "Are you not embarrassed? Even that kitchen girl, Verbena, was wed to your gardener friend when she became fertile. You have bled already! That is your body telling you you need to be wed."

Jane's mouth dropped open, "Mother! Not in front of Father!" Her mother rolled her eyes, "Pepper is not a knight Mother. The circumstances are different."

"_Ladies_ are not knights. And even if they are, I'm sure they all get married. Now it's time for yours."

"And if I refuse?"

"You cannot. I am your mother. I decide what is best for you."

Jane turned around to leave, "Then I guess I will defy you once again mother. I am not getting married right now."

"Come back here Jane Turnkey! We are not finished discussing the matter!"

"Oh, I think we are. Good day!"

She stomped across the grounds, literally feeling the steam coming out of her ears. Who did her mother think she was anyway? Jane could easily get a husband! Just because she was a knight and a little bit of a rough around the edges didn't mean she wasn't going to ever be in a relationship. And yes, sometimes after training her hair made her look more like a rabid lion, but she was still beautiful. Well, she considered herself as such. And Dragon kept telling her of the short-lives in the kingdom, she stood out the most, though she wasn't sure if this was actually a compliment. She'd had a few suitors in the past, so she was certain she wasn't a complete turn off to any possible husbands.

She rounded a corner and headed over to the courtyard. Jester hopped down from the ledge he had been sitting on.

"Jane, you look set to kill! Penny for your thoughts?" The penny appeared from out of nowhere and he held it between two fingers, a grin on his face.

"Jester, not now."

He put his hands up in surrender and fell into step with Jane's brisk pace. "This cannot be good."

Smithy smiled upon seeing the two approach, but seeing Jane's face, looked worried. "Something the matter, Jane?"

"My mother's the matter! One of the reasons I became a knight was to avoid all the trivial troubles with being a lady-in-waiting and of marriage."

"Marriage?" Jester looked alarmed, "Who's getting married?!"

"I am!" Jane cried to her friends' collective gasps, "I mean I'm not getting married yet, but mother says I'm growing old, and I am to be wed soon. And she's picking my husband! I'm seventeen! It's not like I'll be barren once I turn eighteen."

Smithy nodded and pointed to Pepper's rotund belly, "That is true. Pepper is soon having a child in a few months. How old are you Pepper?"

"Eighteen in a few months." she smiled as she patted the large protrusion on her abdomen.

"You see!" Jane slammed her hand down onto the table, "And she thinks no man will want me. Ridiculous! I don't want some idiot from the kingdom to be tied down to."

Pepper patted her hand, "But Jane, can't you still be married and be a knight?"

"I would love for that to be true, but what kind of knight stays at home to raise the children? It would never work. And the time I spent taking care of the children would detract from my training."

Smithy shook his head, "Parents shouldn't force their children into marriage."

Jane frowned, "Tell me about it! I wish I was born a male! At least you don't have to worry about getting married. You can pick any girl you want! And my mother would have no qualms with me being a knight."

Smithy made a face, "Well, that's not entirely true, Jane. As working men, we need to find a young, strong wife who can take care of all household affairs and raise the children. And produce good heirs to continue the family business. If you don't get an early start, all the good ones are taken."

"But at least you have a choice!" Jane sighed dramatically, "I don't want to stay home and raise children. I want to fight!"

Pepper frowned, "Are you okay Jester? You look a bit pale."

He shook his head fervently, the bells on his hat jingling in reckless abandon, "I'm fine. I just can't believe Jane is getting married."

"I'm not getting married, Jester! I refuse! I need to establish myself as a knight first and foremost."

"But what if your mother arranges a wedding anyway, and you don't even get a chance to pick your husband?"

They stared at Jester in shock. None of them had even thought about those consequences. And they all knew her mother could very well go to extremes to get Jane to do what she wanted. Jane remembered the ball years ago when her mother had refused to let her go unless she wore a dress. Jane, of course, had not attended the ball, but her mother had continued to give her that ultimatum until Jane had finally given in, and allowed her mother to fancy her up. And that scared Jane. She was quite possible of resisting her mother's authority, but eventually, she always gave in because her mother was relentless.

"I'm sure Jane's mother would not be so cruel." Pepper said reassuringly.

Jane shook her head, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Mother seemed pretty determined to marry me off."

"Then why don't you just pick a husband to marry?" Jester shrugged when Jane frowned at him, "I didn't say have a family, Jane. Marry someone, but wait to have children until you're comfortable with your status as a knight."

"But what man would be willing to wait for me that long? Who knows when I'll be willing to have children. It could be several years!"

Jester stood up and bowed to Jane, "As your best friend, I would be honored to be your husband. For you, I would wait a thousand years."

Jane laughed but shook her head, "No Jester. Thank you for your offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

He gasped in shock, "Why?"

"Because you're my best friend, of course. It'd be too weird."

Pepper giggled at Jester's crestfallen look. "Jane, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be married. I mean you used to never want to wear dresses as a child, but now you don't care so much do you? Maybe your mother is right."

She narrowed her eyes at Pepper, "I know those words did not just come out of your mouth, Pepper."

Pepper smiled and gushed, "Jane, the married life isn't so bad. It's like you have an everlasting companion. One who is always going to be there for you."

"That's easy for you to say, Pepper. You're in love with your husband." Pepper blushed, "I don't even have feelings for anybody! How could I marry them so soon?"

No one responded and they all stared at the table trying to help Jane come up with a solution to her problem.

Jane pouted and slumped onto the wooden table. "It's not fair!" She knew she was acting like a petulant child, but she didn't care.

"What's not fair?"

"Gunther!" Jane stood from the table, grabbing her practice sword.

"Good afternoon Pepper and Smithy. Jester." Smithy nodded back and Pepper smiled, though Jester seemed displeased.

Jane went over to him, "I need a good spar. Can you render me the service?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, "Oh dear. Jane, fighting isn't the answer to everything." She stood up slowly from the table with Smithy's help and patted Jane's shoulder, "Good luck with the situation. Well, those potatoes aren't going to peel themselves. Good day everyone."

Jester glared at Gunther, "Don't you have some other duties to attend to? Aren't you to be knighted soon?"

He delivered him an equal look of contempt, "Shouldn't you be in the castle-what is it that you do- oh yes, 'entertaining' the royal family?"

Jane cut off their, whatever, was going on. "Enough you two."Jester turned away and walked off, grumbling under his breath. "Well, Gunther? Are you up for a match?"

"Me against you, Jane? Are you prepared to lose?"

She would never admit it to him, but Jane knew if Gunther became truly serious and fought her for real, she would. Over the past six years, though she had put her mind, body, and soul into her training just to keep up with him, she knew he had surpassed her a long time ago. Yes, when they were kids she had clearly been the better knight in training. But once Gunther had escaped the clutches of his father when he had been exiled for treason and really became devoted to his studies, he quickly became the ideal type of valiant knight that the king could rely on and exceeded in all subjects, becoming an excellent knight in training.

Over the years, though their rivalry continued, their petty childish battling had decreased and she actually found him to be a rather agreeable person. She wouldn't say they were friends or anything of the sort, but she knew she could trust him with her life. Their relationship was a strange one bred from mutual respect and competition. And when she had been squired, a few years back, he had defended her against the other squires who mocked her for being a woman. Of course, she hadn't actually needed his aid, as during training, she quickly rose to the top and gained respect from the others, but she found the gesture quite kind and it was through little things like that that she realized she had probably misunderstood his character. It was a little weird for him to be so... nice sometimes, but she figured as adults, they could very well coexist as knights. Within time, her friends accepted that he had changed and could associate harmoniously with him, though he and Jester seemed to have some sort of ridiculous rivalry going on for some reason.

"It is you who will lose." She set herself on the ready, "On guard, Gunther. I'm not going easy on you today."

She wasted no time in attacking, putting him immediately in the defensive. He blocked, she spun and attacked again. He frowned, realizing she had no intention of relenting her attacks. It threw him off a bit. It was far from her style. Though impulsive and reckless in fighting, Jane was careful and used her brain and eyes to figure out when to continue the assault or back off and bide her time and save her energy. He hadn't seen her fight this brutally since her mother had refused to allow her to see Dragon after he had accidentally burned Jane's hair. Jane didn't seem to mind, but Adeline was furious. He only knew two people who could make Jane that angry: her mother or himself. And he was fairly certain he hadn't done anything to chagrin her.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?"

She grunted and parried his counter, "It's my damned mother..." Dodge, parry to the right, slash. "She thinks I'm growing too old for marriage and I'll soon become an old spinster."

"But you're a knight. Why must you worry about marriage?" Jane hit particularly hard and he heard the loud crack of the wood contact when her sword struck his. He winced. He had narrowly avoided that strike, and he didn't want to know what could have happened to him should that have struck him.

"She also says that ladies are not knights and she wants me to cease my training."

Carefully avoiding getting clobbered by Jane's sword, he stepped back to catch his breath before Jane attacked again. "Jane, just tell your mother you refuse to be married now."

She glared at him, "Don't you think I've tried? She thinks I will not be able to conceive should I wait too long! And I no longer have a choice. I'm positive that if I continue to refuse, she'll find one for me!"

"Why don't you just marry a knight? Same profession, you'll see each other every day, and you'll both be too busy to even think about having children."

Her jaw dropped and she paused in her attack, "I never thought about that." Her pause gave Gunther an opening, and he took the offensive. Jane, caught off guard, blocked too late and slipped backwards and fell on her behind.

Gunther laughed heartily, despite Jane's murderous glare. "And what the hell is so funny?"

"Nothing." He chuckled, "It's just that I can't imagine a single knight who would want to marry a woman who can kick his butt."

"Oh wonderful, thank you for the vote of confidence."

"Well, aside from me, of course."

Her eyes shot up and met his in alarm and she held his grey-eyed gaze, surprise written all over her face. She could clearly sense the sincerity he had in tone, which was shocking to say the least.

Was he implying...?

Gunther seemed to realize he had added that as an afterthought but hadn't really meant to say it out loud. He quickly cleared his throat, blushing a bit and picked up her sword, hoping to change the subject and the suddenly awkward mood.

"Round two?"

Jane grinned, moment forgotten and hopped up, taking her sword from his outstretched hand, "Only if you don't mind being battered and bruised. I don't intend to go easy on you, you know?"

His smile grew, "We'll see who ends up battered and bruised, Jane."

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**End Chapter 1! Hope you enjoyed :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Story: Of Knighthood and Marriage  
Rating: Low T  
Pairing: Gunther/Jane, one-sided Jester/Jane, Rake/Pepper  
Summary: Jane's mother has had enough of Jane's knighthood nonsense. Either Jane finds a husband soon, or she will pick a respectable one for Jane. Regardless of age.**

**A/N: Thank you for the review! I really appreciate them! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Jane and the Dragon, and am merely using the characters for my own entertainment.**

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"Slash to the right. Jab, block. Attack the neck. Jab."

Jane focused her attacks on the dummy, making sure each one was cleaner and crisper than the last and her intended target was always hit. She had been training with Gunther, but when the sun had begun to set, the knight he was servicing had announced his plan to patrol Kippurnium's borders and he had to leave. Smithy had long since disappeared off to town to buy some more raw materials, and Jester was nowhere to be found. So Jane found herself alone, and training on the battered dummy. Suddenly, a breeze hit her and the sound of Dragon's signature wing flaps filled the air before he landed heavily onto the ground.

"Dragon!" she dropped her weapon and ran to where the giant lizard landed, "Did you enjoy your nap?"

"I quite did, thank you. Though my back is pretty itchy. That grass is not very comfortable."

She laughed, "How about a night patrol? I'm feeling restless."

"Actually Jane, your mother approached me and asked me to tell you to come home for supper."

"_My_ mother approached _you_?"

"She did, though I'd have to say, she stayed rather far away. And she seemed to be shielding her hair and head from me." he scratched his chin in wonder.

"Well, why does she want me at home for supper tonight? She knows I eat with the other squires in the dining hall."

"Something about cooking up a nice cow..."

"Dragon. Are you sure that wasn't part of _your_ dream?"

"Ah, now that you mention it... I think it was." Jane laughed, "Actually, she said something about a guest. She wanted you to dress up. You know, clean blouse or dress kind of thing?"

"What kind of guest could she possibly be entertaining that she would need me for?"

"I don't know, but she also told me to tell you not to be late. She looked pretty serious, Jane. Did you upset her?"

Jane sighed exasperatedly, "Mother and I just had a little row that's all. She wants me to be wed soon."

"And you don't?"

"Do you have to ask?" She climbed up on his back, "Could you take me to my room please? I need to freshen up."

He lifted off effortlessly and took off toward Jane's bedroom, "You could always just run away?"

"That's not an option. I am to be a knight for this kingdom. Loyalty is key."

"You see? This is why I feel sorry for you short lives. I have all the time in the world to find me a mate, but you all must mate and reproduce as soon as possible."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh hush, Lizard Lips. I don't intend to be wed anytime soon, regardless." He stopped by her window and she jumped in. "But being a dragon would be nice, I suppose." she added as an afterthought.

"Will you be needing my services any longer?"

"Perhaps after supper. Until then, do as you'd like."

"Great! You know where I'll be!" He rose up and began to fly off.

"Do not harass the cows in the field, Dragon!"

"I can't guarantee that Jane!" he yelled back as he took off in the sky.

Jane chuckled and went about preparing for a probably irritating dinner with her mother. No doubt her mother would be bringing up the marriage thing during supper. Perhaps even with the guest there as well. She splashed water on her face and arms to rid herself of the dirt that stained her.

"It's probably just a merchant friend of father's visiting today." she grabbed a clean, plain green dress and slipped it on. Her hair looked wild after her training though, so she braided it down, hoping by the time she reached her parent's home, it would have flattened somewhat. She looked decent enough to be somewhat acceptable to her mother, and so, set off for the supper.

~.~.~

"Mother! I'm here."

Her mother appeared and whatever irritation she seemed to have had with Jane that afternoon had completely vanished and was instead replaced by a happy, cheerful Adeline, a sight you rarely saw, as she was usually fussing at or about Jane.

"Oh, Jane! There you are!" Her mother pulled her inside, "You look just lovely dear. Thank you for wearing a dress."

Something was off. Her mother was just _too_ cheerful. She usually always had something to say, be it about Jane's attire, her countenance, and _especially_ her hair. Jane never looked just _lovely_.

"Where is Adeline Turnkey, and what have you done with her?" Jane grumbled under her breath.

"Now, now Jane. Speak clearly, remember? It's unladylike to grumble like an old bear." She dragged her to their dining room before stopping and smiling a blinding smile. "Sir Kiers? I present to you my daughter, Jane. Jane, this is Menandros Kiers, a merchant from the east working with your father for the next week. He is here on business with the king. Isn't that exciting! He works for kings!"

Jane's head shot to the guest in question, sitting comfortably in the chair directly opposite Jane's in their dining table. He was a thin, pale man, with narrow eyes and a long face with gaunt, sunken in cheekbones. His limp, ash blonde hairline was already receding. He was watching her like a hawk, his beady brown eyes showing interest. She fought the urge to wince or grimace.

Her mother nudged her roughly, reminding Jane to be polite. She curtsied politely, though not quite gracefully (her mother's disapproving smile told her as such). It was an odd motion. And having been training with men for so long, she found it hard to be graceful.

"Good evening, Sir Kiers. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I take it your voyage went well?"

He cleared his throat and nodded back, "Just fine, thank you." His voice was gravely and thick with something Jane refused to identify. It made her nervous.

Jane straightened and took her seat at the table. She was still trying to figure out why her mother had invited Kiers to supper. She knew he was here on business, but why could he not have been fed at the castle? Her suspicions rose and she tried to push them to the back of her mind, but she continued to feel those nervous, not-a-good-situation tingles she usually got when she was backed into a corner while fighting. Whatever was about to come, would not be good.

Once the men had been served and then the women, they began to enjoy the meal. Jane glanced at her mother, trying to get her attention, but her mother was smiling to herself, almost as if she was in on some little joke. She ate slowly, her stomach just not quite up to the task of eating at the moment. She looked up at her father. He hadn't said a word the entire time, and even now, he looked slightly defeated. Jane swallowed thickly. She didn't like this situation one bit.

Kiers cleared his throat (rather obnoxiously if you asked her). When Jane ignored him and continued to eat her food, he cleared his throat again. She felt her mother's foot connect painfully with her shin and she jolted up in pain. Her mom gave her an angry glare, and not in the mood to have to deal with her mother's wrath all night, she acquiesced, gracing the man with a neutral look, though borderline disgusted grimace.

"So Jane, I hear you are helping to train knights."

There were some greens stuck in his teeth, and Jane had to catch the laugh that threatened to bubble out of her throat, "Not helping. I myself am a knight in training."

He laughed, a loud jolly sound that seemed to shake up the entire room. For such a thin man, she did not expect his laugh to be that boisterous. Her mother joined in his laughter and Jane frowned in confusion. What was so funny?

"Your daughter is quite the funny one, Lady Turnkey. You weren't lying." A few more chuckles escaped his throat, "A girl as a knight. How utterly humorous."

Jane's face fell. What had her mother been saying to this man? That she liked to joke that she was a knight? The revelation made her angrier than she had ever been with her mother. It infuriated her how Adeline dismissed her hard training and dreams to be a knight like it was some petty hope of a child. When would her mother see that she was serious about knighthood? If she just took the time to really watch Jane in her studies and training, she would see that she wasn't just playing around with the prospect of being a knight. Jane was top of her class, and one of the lead contenders to becoming a knight in the next three years. The seven years she spent training were not just a joke to her. It was something she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life doing.

Menandros picked up his fork and waved it in the air, "Well I tell you, Jane. I've seen some of the most marvelously designed suits of armor in Spain." she nodded and took a sip of her wine, pretending to be interested in his conversation, "Have you ever been to Spain before?"

"Of course not." she tried not to let sarcasm slip in her tone, "I'm a knight-in-training. My duty is to defend the castle. How can I defend it if I'm not there?"

His smile slipped a little when she commented, and Jane's mother shot her an annoyed glare. "Well, I'm sure Jane would love to see Spain, wouldn't you, Jane?"

"Well, not really-" the foot connected with her shin once again, and she grit her teeth, sparing a vexed glance at Adeline. Her mother's damned shoes were too pointy! "What I meant was, not now. But maybe sometime in the future. Far, in the future."

She quickly realized her mistake when Kiers' smile changed from just conversational, to sly, and a bit coy. Those nervous tingles were back. She could feel herself getting backed into a corner.

"I would be happy to take you to visit Spain, Jane. In fact. My next trade route will be in Spain to the kingdom of Alderetus. It's quite lovely. I believe you would have a fantastic time."

She stopped chewing on her potatoes and froze. There it was. She had no doubt in her mind now that this was a man her mother had picked to be her "husband". This disgusting, loathsome snake of a man who was trying to trap her into marrying him by most likely deflowering her on the voyage should she choose to accept his offer. It was harsh, but she was a very good judge of character, and she could tell what kind of character his was. He didn't even have the honor to properly ask her to court him. Her mother had made a big mistake. Was she in that much of a rush to marry Jane off that she didn't even bother to follow the proper steps one takes to marriage? He was obviously a conniving boor, yet her mother still had the audacity to choose him as a would be husband for her daughter. And that was just downright insulting and hurtful.

She slowly turned her head to her mother and fixed her with a fiery glare. Adeline responded to the look with one of her own. She was smiling, but her eyes were blazing fire, and she leaned a bit closer to Jane.

"Well Jane?" Adeline's grin turned almost menacing, "What do you say? It sounds like a great offer."

Jane slammed her fork and tablecloth down on the table and shoved her chair back with her feet, "I'm sorry, Sir Kiers. I'm afraid I cannot accept your offer."

He looked taken aback and stuttered for a few seconds, his composure broken. She had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. He probably was not used to women who spoke out against him. Or denied him what he wanted.

"Jane!" Adeline looked furious and Jane almost winced. The fury of Adeline was something to be feared in Kippurnium.

"That's quite alright," Kiers put his own fork down and wiped his face with a cloth. "She can join me when she's ready."

"When I'm _ready_?" Jane shot up from her chair and stared him down in disgust, no longer caring how vengeful her mother would be after this fiasco. She could not believe this pompous ass of a man! His arrogance knew no bounds! "You don't seem to understand what I'm saying, _sir._ I will not be joining you. At. All." His face burned red and his eyebrows furrowed deeply in embarrassment and anger, "I am a knight to King Caradoc and all subjects of Kippurnium. And I will not be leaving this kingdom. And I'm afraid, sir, it would be quite inappropriate for an unmarried maiden to travel with a grown man well her senior."

Jane's mother was seething, but Jane refused to look in her direction, instead opting to keep her determined gaze on Kiers until he backed down or buckled under her fierce glare. The tension in the air was atrocious and it soon became a three way standoff. Jane glaring at the merchant, her mother glaring at her, Kiers, staring in shock at Jane, but no words were said. The silence grew deafening as no one at the table moved an inch.

"Now, now. Can we please at least finish our supper in peace?" Milton cleared his throat and gave meaningful glances to the three, "Jane, please compose yourself and sit down. Adeline, dear, we can continue this conversation later." He turned to Menandros, a subtle look of amusement on his face, "I do apologize for my daughter's behaviour, Menandros, but it is as she said. It is improper for my unmarried daughter to travel with a grown man such as yourself. I do hope you understand."

Kiers cleared his throat again and tried to salvage whatever dignity he might have left, "I-It's no problem Milton. I apologize." He stood from his chair, "I hate to be rude, but I must be going on my way now. Thank you for the dinner, Lady Turnkey. I thoroughly enjoyed it." He bowed to Jane's mother and then slightly bowed to Jane. Jane could smell the fear coming off of him in waves. Intimidation tactic: Success. "I do apologize for having offended you, Miss Turnkey. Please enjoy the rest of your meal. I bid you goodnight."

Milton began to rise in his seat, "Allow me to guide you to the door."

He shook his head, "That's quite alright. Please don't inconvenience yourself on my account. Good evening."

Jane grinned to herself as he seemed to tear out of there. He had left so fast, she felt proud of her work. There was no doubt in her mind he would never show his face around her home again. And no doubt in her mind that any thoughts of marriage to Jane had been completely wiped away. That was reason enough for her to smile, despite the fact that she knew her mother would be coming after her with a force.

"Wipe that smirk off of your face, Jane." Milton was watching her sternly, and she grimaced before sobering her face. Her father rarely showed disappointment in her, and she could feel it in waves, "Your behaviour tonight was unacceptable and could have cost the kingdom a good trade deal. I expect better of you."

She had only been trying to defend herself against that rat of a man, but now she felt ashamed. She was sure there must have been some other way of expressing her refusal. Jane was almost an adult. It was time for her to start behaving less impulsively and childishly. "I'm sorry father."

He put his hand up, "Do not apologize Jane." She looked up in alarm at the smile in his voice, as did her mother. "You stopped me from attacking him myself. Your behaviour may have been unacceptable, but his was downright atrocious. The fact that he was insisting on taking an unmarried woman on a ship with him shows how little class he truly has." He turned to Adeline and patted his wife's hand gently, "Adeline. If you are going to pick a husband for Jane, I want you to do this properly, please. We want an honourable marriage in our family, so please do take that into consideration, my sweet." She nodded, looking embarrassed.

He rubbed his hands together, "Now. Your mother has prepared an excellent meal, and I don't want one foul man to ruin this evening. We haven't eaten supper as a family in a long time, so let us enjoy this meal!"

The rest of the meal went on in peace with light conversation. Her father asked about her friends and how her studies were going, and surprisingly, her mother asked how training was and if Jane was getting enough rest. Despite the horrid beginning of the evening, it went by pretty well. As she left, her mother had wished her a safe return and to come back soon to visit. Adeline was surprisingly civil the rest of the night, not bringing up marriage at all, and she and Jane left on amicable, though somewhat tense terms. She supposed they were at a cease-fire after the whole debacle with the merchant, but Jane didn't doubt that once this truce wore off, her mother would come back with a force.

As Jane walked back to her barrack, she knew one thing for sure. She didn't want to have to deal with any other potential suitors. Especially disgusting ones her mother would continuously pick. She could just imagine this charade going on and on until either she or her mother would snap. Jane knew this would never end. Resigning herself to her fate, she sighed in annoyance. Maybe it _was_ time for her to do her own husband searching.

The question was: where would she start looking?

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**Chapter 2 :) Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Story: Of Knighthood and Marriage  
Rating: Low T  
Pairing: Gunther/Jane, one-sided Jester/Jane, Rake/Pepper  
Summary: Jane's mother has had enough of Jane's knighthood nonsense. Either Jane finds a husband soon, or she will pick a respectable one for Jane. Regardless of age.**

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate them! :) And on another note, I just wanted to let you know that this story WILL contain OC's. You might not like that, but there is no way for this to work unless I have OC's, though I will try to keep them to a minimum. Cheers.  
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**Also, I understand the summary might not be as suitable for this story anymore, but whatevs... If you have any better suggestions, please, by all means, let me know. The plot has shifted a bit now, though. Jane still needs a hubby, but I've decided to add another dimension to the story that will aid in my "sequel" I will write in the future. Oh and cuz I like conflict in stories!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Jane and the Dragon, and am merely using the characters for my own entertainment.**

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"So let me get this straight: he kept insisting you come with him?" Jester began to laugh harder, clutching his stomach in humor, "Oh my stomach! It's too much!"

"It's not funny Jester!" she glared at him, "I can't believe my mother truly found him suitable."

Jester wiped a tear, and sobered up, "But don't you think it's weird Jane?"

"What?"

"Well it's been a week since The Supper. But your mother has yet to bring up marriage again."

Jane frowned, "I know. It's like the calm before a storm. I'm just worried what kind of storm will wreak havoc on my life next."

"Well, that's why I'm here to help you find someone!" Jester pointed to himself with his chest puffed up in pride, "I am your number one husband consultant! Where would you like to start looking first? Jane? Jaaaaane?"

But she wasn't paying attention anymore. Her gaze had taken her to the middle of the courtyard, where a girl she somewhat recognized was talking to Gunther. Correction: Gunther was laughing while the girl blushed cutely.

"Jane, what's wrong? You've got that look on your face when you see a cockroach." He followed her gaze and immediately, his face clammed up in annoyance when he saw what she was staring at, "Oh. It's Gunther."

"Jester, who is that girl?" she questioned slowly.

"Genevieve Estienne," Jester scratched his chin thoughtfully, "From France, I believe. If I remember correctly, she was taken in as a nursemaid for the ladys-in-waiting. Sweet girl. A bit quiet, but quite cute."

Jane's eyes narrowed in annoyance, "It would appear Gunther thinks so as well."

Jester glanced at her, his lips pressed together in distaste, "Why do you care so much about what that weasel would think anyway, Jane?"

She abruptly snapped out of her little trance and burned red, looking at Jester in horror, "I don't! Not at all."

"You seem pretty vexed to me."

"It's your imagination!" she snapped. But her gaze slipped uncertainly over to them once again. Gunther was kissing her hand politely, while bowing and she was blushing quite profusely. Jane felt very unnerved by the gesture.

"I think not-"

Jane held her hand up and quickly interrupted him, already growing tired of the route this conversation had taken, "I assure you, Jester, that I am not at all vexed about anything."

Jester gave her a suspicious look, but then relented, sighing in defeat, "Well then Jane, where would you like to begin looking?"

She scratched her chin thoughtfully, "Well good question. I guess I could eliminate some of the more... unsuitable options. For one, they'd have to be between eighteen and thirty. No younger. No older. He'd have to live within the confines of the castle. Physically fit. Suitable profession. I think a valiant knight will do nicely. Kind hearted and gentle. He must listen to me, and treat me like I'm his queen. A real man, who is stronger than I-"

Jester rose a brow skeptically, "Perhaps you should loosen your standards, Jane? Those requirements are too perfect for the imperfections of man to fill. I don't think there's anyone in the castle that can fit that bill."

She laughed, "Oh I'm just teasing, Jester. Of course no one is like that in real life. That's a fantasy prince."

"Good, because I'm not sure I could meet all those requirements," Jester mumbled nervously under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," his bells jingled as he shook his head. "Perhaps the fastest way to find a decent husband, is to hold a 'coming of age' ball for when you are of age, except only six years after your coming of age. Can you imagine it? Suitors galore! Fine food and wine! Dancing! The gardens decorated with lights! It can be the one night where status and upbringing doesn't matter. Anyone can try their hand to win the heart of the ever elusive Missus Jane Bertila Turnkey!"

Jane laughed heartily, "My middle name is not Bertila, Jester!"

He looked pensive, "Really? I thought that was it for sure."

She laughed harder. Jester always knew how to cheer her up even when she was in the stormiest of moods.

"Hey Jane? About your requirements..." he turned to look her straight in the eye, and she let her laughter taper off, wondering why his stormy eyes were so focused and intense. The mood had definitely shifted, "Is making you laugh one of them?"

She blinked, confused, "Probably, Jester. Why?"

He shook his head, a secretive little smile on his lips, "A point for me, then."

She frowned, completely confused. What was he talking about?

Before she could ask him anything, he stood up, "Isn't it about time for you to head to the squire's barracks? You have a knight's order today, do you not?"

She blinked, suddenly realizing she was needed, "Maggots! Thank you for the reminder Jester! I will see you when I return." He saluted her.

She ran off to quickly find the other squires and knights. They were to patrole and secure the borders of Kippurnium and Elynbrigge in the south. There had been bandits speculated to be of Elynbrigge who had been attacking merchant caravans, and King Caradoc had sent the order for some knights to capture the bandits for questioning. A few knights and those who were to be knighted soon were originally the only ones sent, but Sir Ivon had pulled a few of the knights-in-training in her class to accompany them, including herself, mostly for carrying luggage and tending to said knights. Jane would have rather been able to fight should the need come, but she was glad she at least had a chance to go on this quest. As a squire, real life experience rarely occurred unless she was servicing an active knight. These days, she mostly ended up with a knight who only did recon or took to policing the people in the kingdom. So she really didn't want to miss this chance. She knew without a doubt, that if she was late, she would be left behind.

~.~.~

"Squire Turnkey, please pass me canteen."

"Sir, you finished your canteen of water thirty minutes ago."

Sir Wrenne fixed her a glare, "Well then hand me someone else's."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that. Sir." She quickly added when she caught his menacing glare. If she made even the slightest mistake, he would definitely be on her tail. Despite the fact that she had proven herself to her companions, there were still many who despised the thought of a female knight. Especially one who consorted with a dragon on a daily basis.

He rode ahead, harrumphing while she lagged further behind. It would be best to keep from attracting attention for a while. Especially his.

She looked up at the sky in boredom. They had been traveling for near two hours now, their horses walking softly in the field grass. The ride would last at least four more hours at the speed at which they were traveling. Even longer since dark was approaching, and there was no way the knights could travel at dusk without the possibility of being attacked. She shivered in thought at the dark consuming them all, no light to keep them on their path. She almost wished she had told Dragon he could come with them, but she knew bringing him would only serve to isolate her more in the already judgemental eyes of her fellow knights. Camaraderie amongst knights was crucial for a stronger army. She needed to build a full trusting relationship with the others.

"You think they'll have us travel through the night?" Edmund Morley quivered in fear. "What if we get attacked by the... _bandits._" He whispered the last word in fear.

Jane glanced sideways at him in annoyance. Edmund was a small man for fifteen. He had been recently squired and was to accompany the knights with Jane and the others. She never understood why he had ever chosen to become a knight. He was scrawny, he seemed scared of anything and everything, and he made even Pepper look like a lioness! She had heard his parents abandoned him at the castle, much like Jester, when he was but a babe, and rumor had it that due to his lack of any real talents, they had sent him to be a knight. In her opinion, she honestly believed he should have left training to become a merchant or a castle hand, because he did not quite have the makings of a knight. She honestly could not fathom why Sir Ivon had chosen him to attend. He would only slow them down.

"These are seasoned knights, Edmund. Of course they'll pack up everything once dusk hits. Traveling in the dark in unfamiliar territory is like traveling blind. They wouldn't lead us that way."

His eyebrows were pinched in worry, "But nightfall is about to hit! We're in plain sight of the enemy. Wouldn't they have found some trees or a hidden area to rest in by now?"

Jane's eyebrows knit together. He did have a point. From what she could see of the landscape, there were on wide flat land with few trees, no forests or caves to make camp in for the night. Is it possible they would be attempting to make the trip in one evening? Surely they would not be so foolish. She wanted to ride to the front and ask the knight in charge, but she knew as a squire it would be quite disrespectful. Maybe Gunther would know something.

Sending her horse a bit faster, she pulled up beside Gunther and yanked his tunic. He spun his head around in alarm, a foul word escaping his mouth, his eyes flashing. When he saw who it was, he relaxed a bit, "I swear Jane, one of these days you will be the death of me."

"Why so jumpy, Gunther? Are you scared of the bandits?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "No. But aren't _you_ scared? Of the _dark_?"

She was, but there was no way she'd let him continue to think it was a weakness of hers, "Not since childhood."

He went back to surveying the landscape, his face looking apprehensive. He was shifty eyed and Jane began to feel pin pricks of nervousness. "Why are you so shifty?"

"Do you not feel that? Like something is about to go horribly wrong?"

She chuckled nervously, "Don't talk like that, Gunther. You will only bring a bad omen."

He shook his head, but said nothing.

"Anyway, do you believe they'll stop for shelter for the night? Traveling like this makes us an easy target."

He nodded slowly, "Yes. We are in plain sight of the enemy, yet, we are still riding at this same infuriating pace."

She smiled at the hint of his past impatience seeping through, "Surely, if you spoke to the Sir Scott, he might reconsider trudging on in this way."

"Though I am to be knighted soon, I am not yet one, Jane. Until I am his equal, it would be rude for me to impose my opinion against his leadership." Gunther turned to look at her, a half smirk on his face, though his eyes were still stony and serious. With the decreasing light, the shadows on his face almost made his eyes look black, "You honestly expect me to believe you aren't still terrified of the dark, Jane? Why are you so adamant that we stop?"

She glared at him, "It has nothing to do with me fearing the dark, which I _don't,_ by the way. I'm just saying we are a flashy entourage and we could easily be attacked out here in the open."

"I'm sure Sir Scott knows what he is doing. He graduated top of his class, Jane."

"So then why are you still so apprehensive?"

He didn't respond and turned back toward the front. She knew he wouldn't respond and so rode in companionable silence next to him, listening to the sounds of the crickets in the distance. She chanced a glance in his direction. He was sitting tall on his horse, his countenance serious and alert. Almost majestic. He looked quite handsome in the fading light.

_Wait, handsome?_

Shaking her head quickly, Jane snapped her gaze back to the front and had to quickly bring her steed to a grinding halt when she almost ran into the backside of Sir Wrenne's horse. Her horse whinnied in annoyance at being handled in such a careless manner, and she made a mental note to feed him some carrots as an apology later.

Sir Scott was addressing them, "Tonight, we camp out here!"

A younger knight groaned in annoyance, "But sir, with all due respect, won't we be an open target for the bandits?"

"That's precisely it, my boy!" Jane's stomach dropped. Surely he couldn't mean what she thought he meant... "They'll definitely attack! We can count on that. And when they strike... That is when we will capture them!"

There was a resounding grumble of discontent. Jane watched Sir Wrenne draw his horse closer to Sir Scott, "Are ye mad?! We will _never_ be able to capture them in this dark! Are ye trying to get us all kilt?!"

"Gilbert, I can understand your fears of death, but the king sent us to stop the bandits. What better way is there?" Sir Scott was smiling, almost in amusement.

Sir Wrenne's face colored in anger, "This is not about a paltry fear of death! This is about the lives of _several_ knights!" He swung his meaty hand in gesturing to the rest of them, "Ye cannot make this selfish decision with all our lives at stake!"

A few of the older knights began to join in on the deliberation. They stood at the front, whispering heatedly while someone cried out in frustration every once in a while. Jane looked behind her at Edmund and some of the other squires. Edmund looked like he was about to faint on the spot. The others were either in similar states of distress or excitement. She turned to Gunther, who's jaw was set and had a fierce look upon his face.

"Gunther, do you think this is acceptable?"

His eyes only narrowed, "Actually, I think this is a genius idea, if the bandits are few and only working men from Elynbrigge. If they are militia and numerous, on the other hand..." Jane shivered at the thought of what might happen to them all. "He's taking quite a risk, but he's survived a war and many battles, so I assume he knows what he is doing."

So then why was he still so shifty eyed? Jane couldn't help but feel the nervous air that surrounded Gunther.

"Caradoc's bloody bones!" Sir Wrenne suddenly threw his hands up in defeat, "Fine, Otis! Ye win. But if we all die, we know who the king will be blaming."

Everyone dismounted and began to set up camp. The horses were allowed to graze in the area, one small fire was sprung, and carefully, a few tents were pitched. Through the night, they were all to stay vigilant, awake, and alert. The only purpose of the tents was to create the illusion that they were sleeping. They were not to attack until the bandits were on their territory and in plain sight for easy capture.

Jane knew someone vindictive might mention how a girl in the same area as the men would be improper, so she set her camp a few paces away from the others. Still close enough to hear everything and be of service at a moment's notice, but far enough away so no one could claim indecency or feel uncomfortable with the presence of a girl.

It was a bit lonely on her own though. She wished Dragon could be there with her, keeping her company. He always made her smile. She willed away the thoughts and tried to focus more on the situation they were currently in. She heard feet walking over to her. The person settled beside her. It was Gunther.

He handed her a bowl of something, "One of the squires brought some porridge. I figured you would want some."

"Thank you." She smiled and took it gratefully. Earlier that day, in her rush not to be late, she hadn't thought to grab something in the kitchen to eat, or to bring along for later. Her stomach had begun to tighten dangerously, and she hadn't been sure how to approach the others. Begging or asking for things always made her feel inferior. Plus, she didn't want to give them yet another reason to despise her by thinking she was too dependent on them, an unfortunate preconceived idea of women she did not want to portray. "I was beginning to think I would have to eat grass like the horses."

Gunther chuckled and rose a brow, "You didn't think to bring some nourishment, Jane? That's not like you."

She frowned and blew lightly on the hot porridge, "I was distracted when I left. I didn't have time to worry about that."

_Speaking of distractions today..._

"So it would seem you're friends with Genevieve now?"

He hadn't been paying attention, "What?"

"You and Genevieve? You are friends?"

Though it was quite dark and she could not see easily, she was certain his face had reddened, "Something like that."

Suddenly her stomach felt sick and she lowered the bowl of porridge from her lips, "What do you mean? You're either friends or you're not."

He scratched his head, looking incredibly uncomfortable, "Well, I suppose we are friends. But I guess you could say I am courting her?"

Jane's mouth turned down. Courting her? He was _courting_ her? How had she not realized that from their exchange that afternoon? And why hadn't he told her? It made her feel sick to her stomach.

_Silly Jane._

Of course he hadn't told her. He wasn't under any obligation to. In fact, _they_ were barely friends. There was no reason for him to tell her his whole life. She was still just so irritated though. Maybe it was just weird to imagine _Gunther_ of all people having a sweetheart. He was _Gunther_. She just couldn't imagine him with any woman. He was just supposed to be forever the man she competed with. He wasn't supposed to go off courting women.

"Well congratulations for you then." She hadn't meant to sound spiteful, but she was in a sincerely bad mood now.

He rose a brow, "You sound quite cross, Jane."

"I'm perfectly fine, _Gunther_. If you want to court cute, graceful, young ladies-"

Edmund suddenly appeared in front of them, his eyes terrified, "Jane! Gunther! I went to go grab my horse so I could find some warmth, but I heard some rustling in the fields," he hissed, shaking uncontrollably, "They're here! We're all going to die!"

The porridge and her conversation with Gunther completely forgotten, she dropped the bowl and immediately stood and readied her hand on the hilt of her sword. It was too soon. It was much too soon. The knights were clearly loud and weren't pretending to sleep. Would the bandits really attack a camp of people who were wide awake who could fight back easily? A cold chill ran through her back when she realized that that could mean they were strong enough or had enough people not to worry about the timing of their attack. Gunther had gone still, listening in the distance, blocking out the sound of the knights laughing.

Edmund whimpered and laid down on the grass, covering his head with his hands. "We're going to die!We're going to die!We're going to die!We're going to die!"

"Quiet Edmund!" Jane hissed, "Where did you hear the rustling?"

"In the east!"

_Behind the knights._

She turned to Gunther, all business, "We can't both leave this area, or it will look strange. How about you head over there to warn the knights of their arrival? I'll try to scout the area a bit, figure out how many there are, and where they are all hiding."

"Be careful." Gunther nodded once to her before pulling Edmund to his feet, "You be quiet. They still think they have the element of surprise, thus, you need to behave normally."

She watched them walk away to the main campsite, Gunther's arm around Edmund's shoulder, as if they were just merry friends heading over to their superiors, as opposed to going to warn their superiors that their enemy had arrived.

She tightened her grip on her sword, "Now. I'll just-"

"Stay right where you are."

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**And thus... the story picks up its pace.  
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**Chapter 3! Hope you enjoyed it! :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Story: Of Knighthood and Marriage  
Rating: Mid T  
Pairing: Gunther/Jane, one-sided Jester/Jane, Rake/Pepper  
Summary: Jane's mother has had enough of Jane's knighthood nonsense. Either Jane finds a husband soon, or she will pick a respectable one for Jane. Regardless of age.**

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate them! :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Jane and the Dragon, and am merely using the characters for my own entertainment.**

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Before she could even pull out her sword or move for that matter, an arm twisted painfully around her shoulders and neck, a dagger held by a beefy arm to her throat. She gagged and tried to lift her head up, but the grip was pretty constricting. Not tight enough to choke, but definitely tight enough to prevent movement, or inflict pain if need be.

A low chuckle floated into her ear, "Well, well, well. If it isn't Kippurnium's little knights. What an absolute pleasure it will be to rip you all limb from limb. Drop the sword little knight."

She dropped the scabbard and the sword onto the ground, her stomach clenching in horror at the thought of being unarmed with it. He laughed then, and to her horror, sounds of laughter followed behind him. She tried to count the number of voices. Ten, no twenty... maybe even thirty. There could have even been more for all she knew. But what she did know was that their little entourage of twelve knights would not stand a chance against these vagrants.

"Y-you know... the knights... have already... been warned... of your arrival." she rasped out, deliberately making her voice deeper in order to disguise her gender. She knew what could happen to her in a situation like this one if they discovered her true gender.

"Oh, I'm quite aware, young knight. Let them be warned. They will still all perish. We've got you surrounded on all four sides." He cackled again, before tightening his grip on her, "In fact, I have an idea. Why don't I just allow you to watch your allies perish in front of you?"

She couldn't gauge how far he would be willing to take this teasing, but she didn't have time to wait to see if he was going to make his threats serious and act upon them. But she couldn't figure out what to do. If she attacked her assailant, she most likely would be recaptured by another one or beaten. If she yelled out for help, she'd probably get killed. She could try to appeal to their sense of humanity, but she didn't doubt that these were men who didn't care about humane acts.

_Dragon. If I can get to the whistle, I can call him._

She had left the whistle in her pouch on her horse. Last she had seen, the horse was grazing to the south of where their group stood, but in the dark like this, finding him would be quite difficult. Plus there was the whole problem of getting away from these bandits. She was stuck. She couldn't do anything. She supposed with her small size and speed, she could get him to release her and then rush to a horse, but she could easily get the wrong horse and then what would happen?

Growling internally, she chastised herself for letting herself get caught in the first place.

_Maggots! I can't just sit here and do nothing!_

She would go for it. If it ended in failure and her plan ended horribly, at least she would feel better knowing that she perished with honor by doing everything in her power to protect her group. Listening to the small chatter of the bandits, she tried to pinpoint where they were located so she could make a clean break to a horse to see if it was hers. Now the only problem was, how far away was her horse, and how long would she have to get to a new horse if she picked the wrong one? She had one shot to get away. Spotting a horse out of the corner of her eye, she finalized her plan.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned as far forward as she could before rearing back hard and smashing her head against his nose. Stars exploded in Jane's eyes, and she heard him bellow in pain. He let go of her immediately, and she ignored the pain on her throbbing head to get out of the way. Scrambling away quickly, she forwent grabbing her sword and moved as fast as she could to that horse. In the confusion, she had gotten a small head start while the ones nearby asked their leader what had happened.

She got to the horse and patted its side rapidly, trying to find a pouch, but the horse was already stripped of anything that had been on its back.

"Get him!"

"Bollucks!"

She found another horse in the distance and rushed as fast as she could to that one instead. There was a bandit in the way, but she had no trouble ducking and rolling out of his grasp when he grabbed for her, though with the motion, swirls dance in her vision and she stumbled. Nearly running the horse down, she hastily patted it down, ignoring its annoyed whinnying. It had also been stripped of everything on its back.

"Where the hell is that horse?"

And then someone yanked her arm harshly backwards and she cried out as pain shot through her shoulder and lower neck. She struggled to pull away, but the bandit had a death grip on her wrist. He was squeezing so tightly, she could barely feel her fingers. He was going to break her wrist. Spinning around in defiance, she kicked the bandit in the knee, satisfied with the sickening crunch and when he cried out and dropped down to check it.

Until another bandit came up and punched her so hard in the face, her vision swam, and she saw dragon dressed as a sheep. She stumbled backwards in shock and landed on her bottom.

"You've been a damn bad boy."

The bandit grabbed the lapel of her tunic and lifted her easily as she struggled against him, trying to free herself, despite the fact that each motion she made added to the blinding pain she felt in her head and shoulder. He held a dagger to her throat. "I think we'll just make you our first sacrifice."

She wanted to cry out for help or something, but her throat had closed up, and though she was extremely ashamed, a tear fell from her eyes, mostly from the anger of being helpless to do anything. She thought she was truly a goner when a sudden flash of metal slid between her and the bandit. She landed again on the ground and groaned when the landing shook her head up a bit. The bandit suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream that ran through the entire field. If the bandits had been trying to be discreet, they definitely no longer had the element of surprise.

"Jane get up!" Gunther reached down and yanked Jane to her feet, though she stumbled when she felt dizzy and had to lean against him for support. Steadying her with one arm, he put a sword in her hand, "You need to fight Jane!"

She looked drowsily at the sword in her hand and realized she was seeing two. But he was right. She had to fight. She tried her best to hold the right position with the sword, but she knew she wouldn't be able to strike as properly with her left arm feeling so numb. She couldn't quite close her fist fully around the grip of the sword. When she tried to move her arm, the bone shifted painfully and she realized her shoulder was probably somewhat dislocated. At least it wasn't her lead arm though. That could have been bad.

Looking down, she realized there was a hand on her tunic. Just a hand. Knights were trained to deal with dead bodies and injuries and what not, but seeing the hand on her lapel, still gripping, the blood dripping all over her clothes was still quite frightening. Screaming, she flung the hand from her top and ripped the sword from the scabbard.

"Gunther..." It was a bit hard to form words, "I-I need to find Dragon's whistle."

He nodded, "I figured that's what you were looking for when I saw you." They stood back to back, surveying the area, as bandits began to advance upon them, their daggers or other weapons drawn. "I have your back. Find your horse. And don't worry about everyone else. They are probably fighting as we speak."

He was right. In the distance, Jane could hear shouts of pain and the unmistakable sound of metal clashing. Finding forming words difficult, Jane only hoped that Gunther could somewhat read her intentions. Taking a deep breath, she ran forward towards another horse, avoiding bandits or blocking their attacks if needed be. She was favoring her left arm, so it was hard to properly block. Each block would send her off balance, but she was glad that she wasn't fighting in the daylight. They would definitely see her weakness and would take advantage of that situation. One particular block almost sent her sprawling onto the ground and she had to veer far right just to stop from tumbling to the grass.

Finding a horse, she patted it down quickly, and found no pouch. A bandit suddenly jumped out of nowhere with a sword and attacked her recklessly, shouting profanities. Jane gasped and dodged at the last minute. He nicked a part of her left arm, but the sword sunk into the horse, which whinnied in pain before tumbling to the side and racing off into the night. The bandit, now without a sword tried to turn and run, but Jane hit him with the butt of the sword, knocking him unconscious. She thought she would get a chance to breathe for a second, but all of a sudden, her already swimming head was jolted roughly backwards by her hair, her neck being pulled unfavorably. Black spots appeared in her eyes, and she fought to remain conscious.

"Gunther!" she rasped out, hoping he had heard her.

He suddenly appeared next to her and stabbed the bandit, kicking him away from her. "I told you I had your back, Jane."

"My arse, Gunther! He had my hair in a vice grip!"

A cluster of bandits ran toward them, and they stopped their argument to focus on the battle, lest they get killed. Jane parried off against one particularly burly man. He was slow, much slower than Gunther or any other knight with whom she had trained. The fact that she was still able to see his attacks coming, despite her injuries and slight incohesiveness, proved they were not highly skilled fighters. His motions were sloppy, and he left wide openings every time he tried to hit her. She knew these men couldn't be trained soldiers from the way they fought. Their fighting techniques were all rough around the edges and not clean. Perhaps this crusade wasn't a lost cause. Gunther spun around and took down another enemy in front of her, clearing a path.

"Jane, go!"

She ran again, searching for a horse, desperately hoping that in all this turmoil, her steed might still be in the area. She approached the camp the knights had set up and ran across the grounds, not worrying about watching her back. She could hear Gunther's steady, heavy steps behind her, and his occasional grunts of effort when someone probably attacked him. She spotted Sir Wrenne having a particularly difficult time fighting three of the bandits. She could see he was only fighting on the defensive at this point. And there was no way he could get rid of them if he was only fighting on the defensive. Running sharply and quickly, she attacked one of them, slashing him down in one swing, though it left her arm throbbing. The bandit didn't even know what had happened as he fell. Surprised, Wrenne sent her a look, but it only lasted one second before he turned back around to take care of the other two. Running off again, through the dim light of the dying embers, she spotted her horse. Surprisingly undisturbed by the melee surrounding him, he was munching on some grass. She slid gratefully to the steed and wasted no time in reaching into the pouch and grabbing the whistle.

"Please, Dragon. Hurry."

She blew on it hard and then dropped it back into the pouch before standing up and looking around. It was a disaster. There were people fighting everywhere and bodies littering the ground. She hadn't yet spotted any of the Kippurnium armour on the ground, so she assumed they were all fine. Swerving, she spun around when she heard footsteps pounding behind her. Of course, now that she was in the light of the burning embers of the campfire, she wasn't as concealed as before and unfortunately, as a visible target, the bandits came after her.

She wanted to fight back, she really did, but with her arm injured like this and her barely being able to stand, fighting so many one on one would only lead to her perishing in battle. She prepared to defend herself to the best of her ability, as the bandits attacked her. She blocked and avoided as many strikes as possible, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult.

_Are they getting faster?_

When she tried to block off another bandit, her balance shot, she tripped and fell backwards, landing on her behind. She took in a haggard breath, her body weak and not listening to the alarms ringing in her head.

_No Jane. You're getting slower._

Laughing, two bandits grabbed her and lifted her by both her arms. She bit her lip to stop from howling in pain at the feeling that traveled through her arm. The metallic taste of blood invaded her nostrils and mouth, and she realized her lip wasn't the only thing bleeding. Her arm was bleeding quite profusely as well. Perhaps that was why she had been feeling so dizzy: the rapid loss of blood. Head hanging, she dropped her sword and waited for the end. She couldn't believe this was how she would die. Eighteen short years of life and none of her efforts proved fruitful. Perhaps King Caradoc would honour her death by knighting her in name. She took a deep breath, readying herself for the probably lethal blow, but then the air suddenly began to swirl and some familiar wing flaps were heard. The wind picked up and dust and dirt began to fly up. Dragon landed heavily, shaking up the ground and sending most everyone off balance.

"Get your grubby hands off of Jane." He snorted angrily.

The bandits let go of her and began to retreat backwards, one of them shouting in fear.

Jane smiled in relief and sighed happily as her vision began to fade to black, "Dragon..." Her body no longer able to stand, the last thing she saw was the ground rising quickly to meet her.

"_JANE!_"

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**Short chapter just to alleviate the cliffhanger. It hasn't been very well revised yet, but I will take care of that in due time.  
**

**Chapter 4! I hope you enjoyed! :) **


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